A man can hardly get over his past because it will continue to haunt him. Moreover, others see him only as an extension of his past or even as a vestige. Serious, major incidents; gross mistakes and irreparable embarrassments may be forgotten by the individual, but those others will come to mind whenever needed. Through the travels and experiences of his female narrator, the author evaluates the contemporary Pondicherry, the colonial city of French India, and especially Auroville, the spiritual and universal city, through their past, with a language of post-colonialism.